11-year-old girl dies after shooting at N.O. home

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Gunmen opened fire on a New Orleans home early Monday, fatally wounding an 11-year-old girl and injuring another child and a man, police said.

Arabian Gayles was shot in the head just after midnight and died at an area hospital later in the morning, according to New Orleans Police Department spokesman Garry Flot. Her name was released by a spokesman for the city coroner's office.

Two other people - an 11-year-old girl who is Gayles' cousin and an unidentified 38-year-old man - also were wounded in the shooting. Police said their injuries weren't considered life-threatening.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the police department is "working around the clock" to identify suspects in the shooting and appealed for the public's help.

"The violence in New Orleans won't be stopped unless everyone gets involved," he said in a statement.

Flot said a family was inside a home on General Ogden Street when shots were fired into the house around 12:15 a.m. Two other adults and several other children ranging from 4 to 9 years old were sleeping at the residence at the time of the shooting but weren't injured.

No suspects were immediately identified, but police said they believe "multiple" gunmen fired at the house because investigators found different types of bullet casings at the scene.

"This is a case of unconscionable, reckless violence, which has devastated yet another New Orleans family, who must now make funeral arrangements for one of its children," New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas said in a statement. "And this child's cousin must now try to heal both physically and emotionally after suffering gunshot wounds at the young age of 11."

Gayles was the second child gunned down in the city in the past week. A 13-month-old girl was shot and killed Thursday while she was being held by an 18-year-old baby sitter, who also was wounded in that shooting.

A $5,000 reward has been offered for information about Monday's shooting.

"Again, we need the community to step up to assist us in making those responsible pay for their actions," Serpas said. "They must be stopped."